Professional and Study Skills

This report discusses the importance of professional and study skills for career development. It explores the different types of skills, such as academic skills, professional skills, and transferable skills, and provides recommendations on how to acquire and enhance these skills.

Professional and Study Skills

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
RECOMMENDATIONS.................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
A skill refers to the one's ability to carry out task in the specified amount of time, energy
or both. It can be study skills or professional skills. Study skills are the set of strategies applied to
gain knowledge about chosen topic which might to helpful in future job. Some examples are,
problem-solving, dependability, self- motivation, leadership. Professional skills refers to those
skills that will be valuable to future employer. These are the skills that are taught in school,
college, on job. For example, computer programming, writing skills, project management,
conflict solving, foreign languages etc. In this report, I would be analysing my skills that I
possess or carry till date, what are the skills required and how I can acquire new skills to achieve
my future goals.
MAIN BODY
I am writing my career report to bring up to date my progress in the form of skills that I
have gained till now and what are the other essential skills required to attain my career goals and
the ways through which I can acquire those skills. Skill plays an important part in building one's
career as it is all that is required by the employer but it varies as per requirement and business.
Every business has different needs and same skills cannot be utilized to achieve business
objectives. So to begin, I have divided my skills into 3 parts so that a detailed analysis can be
done.
1. Academic Skills: These are those skills that are acquired during school and college
education. These skills boost the ability to study, retain and clear the exams. These skills
include, problem solving ability, analytical ability, effective communication, creativity.
Academic achievement plays a key role in career formation. Students who do well in
school are better able to transit in adulthood in order to achieve occupational and
economic success (Bartholomew and Griffin, 2018). Achieving academic success is time
management, prioritization, concentration and motivation. I used to think how I will learn
these skills but eventually all this happened. Academic skills is made up of core skills,
such as writing, presentation and referencing which unfolds more complex skills as stated
above. These are the skills which I have adopted in my academic career and now my
focus is on acquiring other complex skills. I need to develop skills related to working on
the assignments, research papers, projects or case studies that require more in-depth
analysis, thinking, out of the box ideas, innovation, communication etc. It will bring my

mind in a particular direction and help in achieve my career goals (Burke and Gilmore,
2015). Also, to become proficient in core skills effective participation in debates,
discussions and presentation is required, actively responding to questions asked. It starts
with academics which will help in my career formation because it will give me an
opportunity to learn as much as possible in some way. The only thing that matters is how
one takes it (Prahmana, 2017). Achieving academic skills creates high level of self-
esteem, lower level of depression, reduces anxiety and are socially inclined. By building
these skills, I can cut out time required in studying and leaving time for other things in
life. It enhances the ability to learn and retain knowledge and achieve various skills.
2. Professional Skills: These are the skills which are not taught but needed to be acquired
in some or the other way. Working in different job environment, gaining information and
knowledge in a particular profession enhances professional skills. To be successful the
career requires being a professional (Rassin, Kurzweil and Maoz, 2015). But being
professional requires more than specialized knowledge. It includes attributes such as time
punctuality, fully engaging in the work, being honest and integral, honouring the
commitments, actively participating, accountable and responsible for the actions taken
etc. Professional skills vary from person to person, as it depends upon the person's
personality, ability and the type of training received. The public is highly knowledgeable
and demand quality services because of which every organization requires highly
qualified and exceptionally skilled employees. Professional skills can be soft and hard
skills. The soft skills, individual need to proficient in communication, teamwork,
interpersonal skills, time management, adaptability to change, strong work ethics etc. On
the other hand, hard skills includes, degree or certificate in a particular area, proficiency
in foreign language, computer programming, typing speed, computer software
knowledge, finance, legal, marketing and sales, production, manufacturing etc. If I
choose from above skills I have developed few of the soft and hard skills during my
professional career which includes teamwork, strong work ethics, typing speed and
finance knowledge. So to become proficient in other skills like software knowledge, the
only way is to get a job into the field that is relevant for me and that too, where I would
be getting a very good exposure with the outside world which will help me in learning
new skills relevant to the industry (Pollack and Adler, 2016). One of the important factor

to be taken care of is my visibility. Whatever work I do, it is important to make sure that I
should know who I am, what work I am doing, one should make his or her presence in
the organization. Professional development always continues, it never ends. It helps in
not only competent in their profession but also excel in it. It is an ongoing process
throughout can individual's career (Piotrowska, 2019). It is because professional world is
moving at a faster pace and if I stand still I will be left behind others as my peers will
keep on expanding their knowledge and experience. It makes employees motivated,
excited. Professional development brings new possibilities, strategies, skills and
knowledge.
3. Transferable Skills: Transferable skills can be regarded as the one's area of strength
which can be transferred from one environment to another like home, school. These skills
are mostly learned during our education (Ruffin and Boice, 2017). It can be acquired in
different ways, like volunteering community service, part-time jobs, internships etc.
These skills can be used in different environment, across different occupation, regardless
of the type of the job. These skills are interpersonal as well as intellectual which are
learned from experience. Some example of transferable skills are, teamwork, leadership,
time management, personal management, quantity and quality of work, conflict handling,
numeracy skill, research and analytical skills, information technology skills, commercial
awareness and good listening skills (Lam and Marsden, 2017). I am good at technological
skills, personal management and commercial awareness but in order to achieve my goals
I have to learn new skills like critical thinking skill, which includes problem solving and
decision-making, through job exposure, learning from my surroundings, group activities,
writing, reading, speaking, taking part in different events which will highlight my inner
strength and skills to others, drawing more opportunities. The benefit of transferable
skills add a value added advantage to me and my employer. It has four major benefits
which are, flexibility, companies recruit those who can diversify and perform multiple
task and roles which sets one apart from others. Second is diversity, the more transferable
skills you have, the more diversity you can offer to the employer and all these skills can
be put to good use (Suleman, 2016). Third is portability, this skill moves with me as I
change jobs, as I move or switch the job, I improve my current skills and gain new ones.
This skill persuades the employer to think that I am right fit for the job even if I don't

have relevant experience. Transferable skills are mostly role based. For example, in retail,
communication, customer service and teamwork skills are most desired. In management,
it requires general management skills but the most important will be leadership skill.
Skills required in non-profit organization are problem-solving, data analysis,
communication and teamwork. These were the few examples to get the insight about the
different requirements of different industries. In short, proper planning needs to be done
to ensure timely achievement of our goals and objectives.
RECOMMENDATIONS
 To achieve my career goals, I need to acquire number of skills which begins with
participating in events and shows which can help me in enhancing my skills, build new
one, show me my weakness so that I can overcome it.
 Working in an organization either part-time, full time or internship, can be an add
advantage to my career which can prove or validate my skills and help me to gain new
skills that are required with the changing needs of the industry.
 Regularly analysing the upcoming changes in the industry relevant to my field so that I
can start working on it before it’s late and take the advantage over others.
 Show casing my skills can help me grab new opportunities which can be done by making
myself visible to others and how I have contributed in achieving the business objectives.
 Having deep understanding of the subject can help in better data interpretation, analysis
and decision-making.
 Attending conferences, seminars are the largest contributor to new information in
different professions. Also, nowadays everything can be learned online along with
certificate which are considered for getting job.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Bartholomew, A. L. and Griffin, N., 2018. Using a Universal Design for Learning Checklist to
Teach Secondary Transition Skills. Career Development and Transition for Exceptional
Individuals. 41(4). pp.245-251.
Burke, J. and Gilmore, B., 2015. Academic Moves for College and Career Readiness, Grades 6-
12: 15 Must-Have Skills Every Student Needs to Achieve. Corwin Press.
Fowler, C. and Siekmann, G., 2017. Identifying work skills: international approaches.
Lam, A. and Marsden, D., 2017. Employment systems, skills and knowledge. The Oxford
Handbook of Skills and Training. p.466.
Piotrowska, M., 2019. Facets of competitiveness in improving the professional skills. Journal of
Competitiveness. 11(2). p.95.
Pollack, J. and Adler, D., 2016. Skills that improve profitability: The relationship between
project management, IT skills, and small to medium enterprise profitability. International
Journal of Project Management. 34(5). pp.831-838.
Prahmana, R. C. I., 2017. The Role of Research-Based Learning to Enhance Students' Research
and Academic Writing Skills. Journal of Education and Learning. 11(3). pp.351-366.
Rassin, M., Kurzweil, Y. and Maoz, Y., 2015. Identification of the learning styles and “On-the-
Job” learning methods implemented by nurses for promoting their professional
knowledge and skills. International journal of nursing education scholarship. 12(1).
pp.75-81.
Ruffin, T. R. and Boice, W. L., 2017. Leader Development in an Unpredictable World:
Transferable Skills and Organizational Development. In Encyclopedia of Strategic
Leadership and Management (pp. 328-339). IGI Global.
Suleman, F., 2016. Employability skills of higher education graduates: Little consensus on a
much-discussed subject. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences. 228. pp.169-174.

APPENDIX-I
Personality Development Log
Skills What did I do? Why & benefits? What would be
my learnings
and how will this
help my career
or personal
development
plans?
How will I use
this? Any
further action
required?
Writing skills Prepared reports,
essays and letters.
It improves
communication in
written form and
writing style.
Every business
requires effective
communication
and preparation of
business reports,
information in a
structured and
professional way
is very essential.
This skill is used
on regular basis
for any
communication
through mails or
sending the work
assigned. It
improves with
time.
Team work Participating in
group activities or
working in a
group project.
Teamwork helps
in achieving
business goals
more efficiently.
It helps in
knowing other
mates, sharing
ideas, how to
present in front of
others which
helps in career
development.
In every
organization,
work is allotted in
teams, so I have
to apply this skill
at that time.
Technological
skill
Studying about
the use of the
latest technology
in different fields
Most of the work
is now technology
driven so
adopting the
These skills are
very difficult and
helpful and
getting
Working in an
organization that
is based on
technology will

and ways to learn
it.
change will be of
great advantage.
proficiency in it
will enhance my
career.
give a good
exposure to the
skill.

APPENDIX-II
Smart Action Plan
Intention Specific Measurable Attainable Relevant Time Based
Time
Management
It is required
in every
sphere of life
whether it is
personal or
professional.
It can be
measured in
terms of time
consumed in
completing the
task before
and after
acquiring the
skill and can
be done on a
regular basis.
It can be
attained if
proper target
is set to
complete the
given task in
the set time
and doing it
again will
bring
proficiency.
It is most
relevant skill
in every
organization
as some times
different tasks
and role are
assigned to
single person
which requires
proper time
management
to complete
the task within
time.
6 months
Software
Knowledge
Important as
manual work
has been
replaced by
automated
software tools.
How easily
and efficiently
I am learning
and use it.
It can be
achieved if
proper
properly
trained and
guided.
Every industry
is working on
different
software's for
serving
different
needs, manual
task has
mostly been
removed.
9 months
Thinking skill In every
situation, I
What benefit
my decision
This can be
attained if I
Today,
everything is
12 months

need to make
decisions
based on my
problem
solving
capabilities.
has brought to
the
organization
can be the
basis for
measuring my
thinking skills.
got to work
continuously
on the projects
that requires
critical
thinking.
based on
innovation or
uniqueness in
one's idea and
if I acquire
this skill, it
will boost my
career.